Over the past ten years, the NMRA has grown to become the most successful all-Ford series in drag racing history, with more than a dozen classes of heads-up and handicapped racing that draw everything from six-second, 225 MPH outlaw 10.5W doorslammers to daily-driven street Mustangs. As the NMRA enters their 11th season of competition, we took a cross-section of the competitors from the series and got their thoughts on the rules, the newly-revised championship points chase, and the level of effort it’s going to take to be a winner this year.

Representing the marquee Outlaw 10.5W class is former Super Street Outlaw racer AJ Powell. Powell raced in the true 10.5 SSO class for several years and stepped up over the winter when he bought a former Dave Hance chassis. AJ was a contender in the points down to the last race last year, and if not for a couple of bad breaks, he could have been the champ.

Another racer on the move is Chris Tuten. Tuten has been a dedicated NMRA for many years now and is a multi class champion. Last year, Chris started off in the Drag Radial class and changed his combination and moved up to SSO, quickly becoming competitive despite the fact that he’s on a “stock” suspension in a class dominated by ladder bar setups. Chris will run his first full season in SSO this year.

Speaking of Drag Radial, Jason Lee has raced his car in many classes over the last few years, with the main focus on NMRA Drag Radial. Always a crowd favorite for his bumper-dragging launches, Jason rebuilt the car after a wreck last season and is the smart-money bet to win this year’s championship.

Ben Mens first got involved in the all-motor Hot Street class a few years ago, building customer engines for Roush. After getting some seat time in a borrowed car two seasons ago, Mens took the plunge and put together a new car last year, which he’ll be campaigning again this season against a number of other racers running engines he built.

Our final participant is Factory Stock racer Jay Dold, out of the Modular Depot camp. Carrying the number four on his windshield this season, Dold competes in what has been called the NMRA’s “entry level” heads-up class, but there’s nothing entry level about the effort and skill required to coax low eleven-second passes from very limited naturally-aspirated engines and spec drag radial tires.

Let’s dive in and see what our Fast Five have to say…

AJ Powell is stepping up this year to Outlaw 10.5W in a chassis formerly campaigned by David Hance.

StangTV: Lots got changed during the off season –how have the new rules affected your class?

A. Powell: I don’t think there were a lot of rule changes [in Outlaw 10.5W], however stepping up to a new class will be difficult for us, trying to figure out a new tune-up and getting a new driving style!

C. Tuten: The supercharged cars were downsized 16mm but allowed a gear-drive. It was an effort to slow them down some, but it may not have worked.

J. Lee: I believe the changes have brought the power-adders closer together from a power perspective. The Mod motor power is still sick! They need to weigh about 3,700 pounds… (laughs)

B. Mens: The only rules change has been a weight reduction on stick shift transmissions and an allowance for a 420 cubic inch combination and a Pro Flite automatic transmission. Unfortunately, none showed at the Bradenton opener so it is undecided if they affected the class.

J. Dold: I believe that the rules have allowed the Factory Stock class to speed up some from last year. As it affects me, they allowed the 4V combinations to use long tube headers at the start of the 09’ season, which enabled me to pick up a little on the ET and MPH.

StangTV: How many racers do you expect to be in your class this year?

A. Powell: I hope there is a solid 10-14 at all the races. Some places will have more and some will have less.

C. Tuten: I would love to see 16-plus fields, but with the economy you just don’t know. Fuel prices are down and I know that it was cheaper for us to go to the first race. Hopefully that will offset the economy and people will come out and race.

J. Lee: By mid season, at least 15-18.

B. Mens: I would like to see full fields of 16 cars. But with the economy like it is and the uncertainty it brings, it may be keeping people from traveling too far from home base. And I might add that a heads-up naturally aspirated class tends to take a lot of time and dollars to sort out.

J. Dold: We only had 8 racers show up to the season opener in Bradenton. From what I’ve read on the forums and from talking to other racers, we should have a solid 10 or more racers at most of the remaining events.

Jason “Whee” Lee is renowned both for standing his Drag Radial Fox on the bumper and having one of the quickest blower cars the class has ever seen

StangTV: What is your opinion on the new points system?

A. Powell: I’ll let you know after the season is over. When we ran SSO, the championship [last season] was decided at BG and it was a battle all year long. With a little better luck the outcome would have been a little different.

C. Tuten: Not sure, but my first impression is that I don’t like it. All racers stumble at some point during the year. If you stumble at the end of the year it will really hurt and make it look as if you haven’t done well all year. That could really hurt you in sponsors’ eyes.

J. Lee: I do not really like it; we do not have enough races to use this system. We will see how if works.

B. Mens: I am still undecided and trying to be open-minded about it. I did think that a 7 race series was kind of a chase right from the start, though.

J. Dold: I don’t care for it. I know the idea was to have a NASCAR style points chase to increase interest and allow more racers a chance for the ring. The problem I see with it is that three races aren’t enough, in my opinion, to let the cream come to the top. If a racer dominates the first four races and has mechanical problems in one of the last three races, he very well may not win the championship even though he had the best car.

Ben Mens went from building killer naturally-aspirated Hot Street motors to racing in the class himself, often lining up against his own customers in the other lane

StangTV: Has the economy had an impact in your racing program?

A. Powell: I know it doesn’t look like it, but we are a very low budget operation. I can’t afford to hurt parts and I hope work stays busy, because if it doesn’t we won’t be racing! I do have responsibilities to my sponsors and will always try to fill my obligations, but if you can’t afford the travel you can’t go.

C. Tuten: Yes, but not to the point that we can’t race. It really has made me cut out a lot of testing.

J. Lee: Big Time! I just lost my daily job yesterday. Part Time Performance has now become Full Time!

B. Mens: Yes, but I am not the kind of person to let my investment just sit and become obsolete without use. I think a lot of people have decided that if things are going to be tough, they are still going to do the one thing they want to, as long as they are able. Based upon the season opener, I think racer and fan turnout backs up my opinion.

J. Dold: Not as much as other racers. I was laid off from my job on December 10th of 2008 and it took until two weeks before Bradenton to get a new job. I thankfully was able to scrape the money together to pay for the freshen-up on the motor and the new long tube headers. If I hadn’t found my new job, there was a good chance I would have had to run a somewhat limited schedule.

StangTV: What changes did you make to be competitive and to keep up with the rules?

A. Powell: We started on the new car about the second week in January and got it done in time for Bradenton. It’s really funny, but we are one of the few with Procharger power and if things work out the way I want them we will be very competitive.

C. Tuten: I tested several different things in the engine and have worked to get the engine bearings to live longer. We also got 75 pounds off the car to get us down to the minimum weight.

J. Lee: I added the gear drive to take full advantage of the existing rules.

B. Mens: Just worked on making the car’s balance better. That, along with a complete rewiring after the repair from last year’s incident. Oh, and making more horsepower.

J. Dold: The first thing we did was to take about 85 more pounds out of the car and place it in the rear where it was desperately needed. This, no doubt, was the most difficult thing we did in the off season. Secondly, we fixed several problems with the car that were surely slowing us down last year. Thirdly, the motor went to BES for a long-overdue freshening up. Lastly, we purchased the new long tube headers (installing those babies was a real treat) and somehow managed to squeeze them into the engine compartment with everything else.

StangTV: What ET and MPH do you think it will take to be competitive?

A. Powell: I think that we will see some high 6.60’s, but if we can go low 6.80’s I think that could work. Now the MPH is a different story. When you have guys like Murillo and Scarry that will go 220-plus, that thing will freight train, but hopefully I will out-ET them up front and go around 208.

C. Tuten: 7.50’s if the rule changes would have worked out.

J. Lee: 8.0’s at mid 170’s

B. Mens: Consistent 8.70’s throughout the summer should get it done. Obviously, 8.60’s in the good air conditions like Bradenton, Atco and Bowling Green and maybe you could see an 8.5 pass.

J. Dold: With the current rules in Factory Stock and the dedication many of the racers put into their programs, I think you’re going to need 11.00’s to low 11-teens with 120+ MPH to be at the top of the field.

StangTV: Do you see the ET and MPH changing much by the season finale at Bowling Green?

A. Powell: Yes, some races will be very fast like they always are and some will be slower, and it all depends on air and track condition.

C. Tuten: Unless the rules change, yes. John [Urist] certainly has his stuff figured out and he is showing that the [Procharger F-3R] 123mm blower may have complimented his engine combo. No fault on his part, it just depends on what ET range the NMRA wants us in.

J. Lee: It depends if the Mod motor turbo cars get it figured out. They have 7.80 power under the current rules. Those things are sick!

B. Mens: The 8.63 that Robbie Blankenship ran at Bradenton was pretty stout for those conditions; you may see that lowered at Atco. Again, maybe an 8.5 at Atco or Bowling Green.

J. Dold: Considering that the Atco race is probably going to see new records in every class in both ET and MPH, I would say no.

StangTV: Who is the biggest competition in your class?

A. Powell: Everyone – they are all capable of running fast and every round will be a dogfight!

C. Tuten: Until you beat the man through the course of a year then you would definitely have to say Urist.

J. Lee: Everybody – This BFG tire totally equalizes the class, anybody can win at any given time. Oh ya – [John] Kolivas, when he comes back!

B. Mens: Anyone who makes the effort to show up and race is capable. You know what they say; “you can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket”. Right now though I would say Robbie Blankenship has the hot hand and seems to have his program in order.

J. Dold: Right now you have to say that Tommy Godfrey is the number one gun in FS. He came out of the chute running 1.55 60-foot times with 11 teens and big MPH. That said, John Leslie, Jr. is always on top of his game and you can always expect good things from him.

StangTV: What is the worst/most difficult rule in your class to overcome?

A. Powell: My opinion is that single turbo at 2850 pounds.

C. Tuten: I really like the rules as a whole, so I would have to say none.

B. Mens: I think the most difficult rule to overcome is the no wheelie bar rule.

J. Dold: Running drag radials. By far this is the most difficult rule everyone in the class needs to overcome. Getting these drag radials to hook just right is difficult at best and close to impossible on a bad weekend.

StangTV: Do you feel like there is any cheating in your class?

A. Powell: No.

C. Tuten: No.

J. Lee: I would hope not!

B. Mens: Sometimes.

J. Dold: No. There is always going to be speculation about the front runner(s) cheating to be better than everyone else. Unless there is actual proof that a particular racer is cheating, I think it’s best for the sport and everyone involved to leave it at the speculation level and not accuse people of cheating just because they have a winning program.

StangTV: Would you protest someone if you thought they were cheating?

A. Powell: It depends if it is blatant cheating, as in multiple power adders, or something silly like a body rule.

C. Tuten: If I honestly and truly thought someone was cheating, then absolutely!

J. Lee: YES!

B. Mens: Yes, but I would have to have a 100-plus-percent belief that it was true. I am as open minded as anyone and would not ever think that someone could not do a better job and perform at a new level.

J. Dold: Only if I knew 100% for sure that they were absolutely cheating. I don’t take lightly the difficulty in tearing down and reassembling an engine at the track. It is trying enough to do it in the best conditions in a shop with the proper tools.

StangTV: What would some areas be for racers to cheat or venture into the grey area for your class?

A. Powell: I’m not sure. I don’t try to even think about it.

C. Tuten: The NMRA has done really well over the years to try and have rules without loopholes, if there are any grey areas then please send me an email. (laughs)

J. Lee: I don’t want to give anybody any ideas!

B. Mens: I try not to dwell on it, as there are always those that are looking for the easy way to victory and to me there is no sense of accomplishment in doing it that way. Unfortunately, there are those that must win at all costs and will do whatever it takes to insure they have some type of advantage.

J. Dold: In the Factory Stock class I would have to say that to disguise porting your heads and doctoring your intake to flow more air would be the areas most beneficial.

StangTV: How do you feel about the season after the first race?

A. Powell: Well, this car is totally different to drive, and once we get the chassis figured out we’ll figure the tune-up out. Once we get all it all figured out we can get after it, and we’ll see how this big tire treats us. It is going to be different, but it was something that we as a team wanted to do – go faster and see where it takes us!

C. Tuten: After looking at the spectators at Bradenton, I think it will be great season. I don’t feel as though I performed to my car’s true potential, so I can’t wait to get back out there and improve the performance of my car.

J. Lee: Pretty Good! Hopefully we can pick up where we left off in Atco. I have finally made a decision to leave my car alone this year (in NMRA trim). I am looking forward to see how well we can do!

B. Mens: I’m optimistic based upon our performance. I am concerned with the car count in my particular class. I will revaluate after a couple races into the season to make sure we are on the right track as far as being in the right class. We may switch to NMCA Pro Stock if the car counts are higher and then run the NMRA races that are logistically closer.

J. Dold: I am mildly satisfied with our performance in Bradenton and cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season. In practice we saw some gains in both ET and MPH, but were not able to carry that over to eliminations. Fortunately, we finally have on-track data to work with and a two month layoff to do some much-needed testing. Of course, everyone wants to win all events they attend, but a third place finish in the season opener is much better than where we were last year at this time.